It's like deja vu all over again.  The fiscal cliff bill, H.R. 8, was drafted behind closed doors, and lawmakers were given six minutes to read the 154-page bill before voting on it.  Once again, we apparently had to pass the bill to find out what's in it.

If you ask many Americans, the largest long-term crisis facing the country is the national debt. Persistently high unemployment, an uncertain economic recovery, soaring health care costs, and a stuttering public education system are all significant contemporary problems, but the skyrocketing national debt seems to loom as a threat to the stability of the government and country itself.

There should be some rule in politics for the less discerning that says: if you're going to attempt a political coup, you better make sure you win, or at least come close. There's a valuable lesson to be learned from yesterday's attempt to fire Speaker Boehner, a "teachable moment," if you will.  How 27 members of Congress thought they could unseat Boehner on their own, is well, curious. Not to mention incredibly unrealistic. 

After weeks of backroom deals and fruitless negotiations with the White House and the Democrat-controlled Senate, the House and Senate passed a bill to supposedly avert the dreaded "fiscal cliff". The bill, H.R. 8, was titled "the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012".

Dear FreedomWorks member,